Hold on a Little Longer
by Jake Nickleby
Summary: After the Grace family successfully defeated Mulgawrath, Simon falls ill due to an infection inflicted by a goblin from the unseen world. Now it's up to Jared to find a cure. No Incest.
1. In Which Simon Examines his Wounded Leg

Disclaimer: All characters and events related to _The Spiderwick Chronicles _are owned by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, under _Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. _Film credits belong to _Paramount Pictures_ and _Nickelodeon Movies_.

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Currently looking for commissions for Cover Art.

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Chapter One, 

In Which Simon Examines his Wounded Leg

It was a lot of hard work, but the Grace children managed to fix up the house rather nicely. After Mulgarath the ogre and his goblin army had partially destroyed the already shabby house, Jared spent most of his free days cleaning up the ruins.

As he sat on the very top of the rickety wooden ladder, giving a fresh new coat of paint on the top trim of a doorframe, he saw his twin brother passing through the hallway. They stopped for a brief moment to look at each other and give a small smile. Then Simon turned, and limped out of the room.

Jared's expression saddened a bit as he watched his twin walk lamely. His leg had not completely healed since the goblins had attacked them. Even through all the chaotic commotion, Jared was able to remember vividly the brutal attack on his family. The boy could still hear in his mind the agonizing cry his brother made as his older sister Mallory poured hydrogen peroxide over the wound.

As the young teenager turned back to his job of painting, he momentarily pondered when his brother would be able to walk properly again before shoving the thought to the back of his mind.

Simon sauntered up the creaky, splintered stairs and into the bathroom. He took a seat on the edge of the white porcelain, claw-foot bathtub. Lifting up his right leg gingerly, he held his eyes shut and bit his tongue down hard as he unwrapped the bandages that bonded around his slim calf. He released pressure off of his tongue and took a deep, calming breath. The boy could not understand why his wounded limb still throbbed with pain, even after Mallory had tended to it.

He examined his shank closely. The gashes did seem to have closed up quite a bit. Nothing appeared as if there was something wrong with his injury. After all, Mallory had downed it with hydrogen peroxide, which would had no doubt prevented infection. Throwing away the dried-up bloodied bandages into the flowery trash bin, Simon shakily stood up, and swayed to the bedroom he shared with his twin.

Making his way across the room, he collapsed onto his lumpy mattress with a scarcely audible sough. Pulling the covers over himself, up to his chin, he ignored the squeaking of his pet mice, Jeffery and Lemondrop, and barely acknowledge his tabby cat, Mister Tibbs' presence as he jumped up onto the bed and curled up right next to Simon's face. Stroking his fluffy fur gently, the boy instantly fell into a deep slumber.

When Simon Grace would wake from his somniferous stage, it was uncertain if he could later have remembered what he was dreaming about. Whether he was able to or not, he probably wished he never did experience such a dream. For such horrid images manifested in his mind, it surely would driven him into insanity.

The only thing he could remember was the memory of the goblin attack.

"It's gonna be bad! It's bad!" he screamed as his sister carried him over near the stairs and sat him down.

"Oh, God. No, that's bad," he exclaimed as Mallory pushed up his pant leg.

"It's okay," Mallory tried to reassure him. "Simon! It's okay!"

"No, it's not okay!" It's not! It's not!"

He stirred in his bed, tossing his head from side to side, before the night terrors ended and settling into a dreamless sleep.

Jared wandered into the room not too long after his twin had entered, and flopped face-first onto his own bed. Despite that it was only four-eighteen in the late afternoon and still light outside, Jared reasoned that a nap couldn't hurt. He was so worn out by all the work he had done around the house, that he did not even bother changing out of his dirty and paint-dripped clothes. Then, just like his brother, fell quickly asleep.

Red-glowing numbers blinked annoyingly from the nightstand next to Jared's bed. He squinted, comprehending that it was two-fifteen in the morning before shoving the clock in the other direction so that the radiating bright light would not shine in his face. Shifting his weight on the bed, and turning his head to the right side on his flat pillow, the boy forced his eyes shut, hoping to fall back asleep and get a few more hours of sleep.

The squeaking of his twin's in-built metal wheel in the cobalt mouse cage was no less annoying than the digital alarm clock's lit face, as both of the white-and-black spotted mice ran at full speed, turning the wheel vigorously. Jared pulled his pillow from underneath his head, and pushed it against his left ear. Having lived at the Spiderwick estate for a good several weeks, he had gotten used to the stillness of the night.

While he groggily wished he still lived in New York, where the excessive noise of the city drowned out the chitter of Simon's creatures, the boy barely noticed the unusual raspy breathing coming from the bed on the opposite side of the room. Jared flung the pillow off of his head and peered over his shoulder to stare at the dark figure that normally slept soundlessly.

Propping himself up with his elbows, then onto his hands, he pushed himself off the bed, and made his way slowly over to his twin. The floorboards creaked from underneath his weight as he fixated on the patch of black chestnut hair highlighted by the moonlight that streamed through the glass-panaled window.

"Simon?" he whispered. Gently sitting down on the edge of the bed, Jared noticed how his other half shivered feverishly. Sweat plastered his neatly combed hair to his forehead, making it seem unruly. He put a hand lightly on the other boy's upper arm and shook him softly. "Simon," he spoke again. Still, the boy's eyes stayed shut; only his body shaking and a sharp intake of breath was his response.

Jared frowned. "Come on, Simon- wake up!" he said in a voice louder than a whisper, shaking his shoulder a bit harder. He released his grip after a few moments, and stared for several more moments. Then, Simon's eyebrows knitted together, and a low groan emerged from his candy pink lips.

The young boy scooted back from his seat, scrunching up the sheets. "Mom?" he called. His voice came out dry, barely making a sound. He swallowed. "Mom!" Jared called again. "Mom!" he continued to cry.

The sound of doors opening, and hurried feet were heard along the wooden hallway floors. Not a moment later had the bedroom door swung open, and his mother rushed in with her hair messily tied up and her glasses askew.

"Jared, what is it? What's the matter?" she asked worriedly.

"There-" His eyes glazed over as he glanced down at his twin before looking back up at his mother. "There's something wrong with Simon..."

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End of Chapter One

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Author's Note: The idea for this fanfiction was inspired by the movie, where Simon gets bitten by the goblin. Although this story (which was written on the Fourth of July weekend) will mostly follow the book, I did keep it a little open-ended for those who prefer the movie. For instance, I did not specify the boys' age so the reader can decide what age the characters are.

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21 August 2008


	2. In Which Jared Waits Impatiently

Chapter Two, 

In Which Jared Waits Impatiently to Visit Simon in the Hospital 

Jared waited restlessly on a wooden bench outside of his younger twin's hospital room. Gripping onto the edge of the seat, he stared down at his sneakers. He anxiously shuffled the rubber toes of his shoes together, then he leaned back slightly and started swinging his tingling legs back and fourth like a little kid. There was nothing that he wanted more than to see his brother.

A twinge of pain shot through the palm of his right hand as he squeezed the bench tighter. Immediately, he let go to examine his bandaged hand. Jared mused on thought of when he gotten the injury. During the battle against Mulgurath, he had cut himself on the blade of a sword when he thrown it hilt-first towards his sister, Mallory.

He realized he did nothing more than wrapping it in a torn cloth, then later cleaning the gash with soap and water. If anything, he should have had an infected wound, not Simon. The only possible explanation the boy could think of was some sort of a reaction caused by the goblin who had bitten him.

The doctors questioned Simon's state and injury. They all believed that it was a attack by a small shark, or a reptile. For them, though it was nearly implausible, it seemed to be the only explanation for the bite marks. Really, Jared thought. A shark bite? In New England?

He scoffed, then tilted his head up and stared up at the ceiling. Feeling like he was on the brink of insanity, he screamed in his mind,_ I want to see my brother now! _

Just then, the wide door swung open, and his mother sadly walked out. She nodded towards him, giving him a signal to go into the room. Jared stared at her for a moment with wide eyes, then swiftly stood up and hurried into the room.

He could see his brother, with numerous amount of tubes strapped to him, sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed. His fair skin looked paler than usual. A lavender tinge faded underneath his eyes; his lips also seemed to have a bit of purple hint to it.

Taking the wooden handle of the nearest armchair, Jared dragged it closer to the bed, and then sat down on the hard, scratchy-fabricated surface of the seat. He slipped his hand into his brother's, and rested his head on the side of the bed.

"Jared?" he heard a voice groan softly. Sitting up, the boy turned his head, and looked at his mirror image. The other boy sleepily blinked, his eyes open into thin slits.

"It's okay, Simon," the second Grace child responded. "I'm here."

"Jared," his twin murmured. "What's happening to me?"

"I- I don't know," was the feeble reply.

"Jared, I'm scared," Simon whimpered. He might have been a pacifist, but he was no wimp, push-over, or crybaby. But right then and there, tears started to stream down his face as he clutched onto his twin tightly.

It tore Jared up inside to see his brother like this. He held Simon for some reassurance, and murmured in his ear, "Simon, you have to listen to me. You're going to get better."

"But Jared, how?" Simon lightly sobbed. "The doctors don't even know what's wrong with me."

"No, listen to me. You _are _going to get better. And I'm going to make sure of it."

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End of Chapter Two

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Author's Note: If I was born a boy, my name would have been Jarred (with two Rs). No lie. My mom always liked the name, and would have used the name if she had a son... but all three of her kids ended up as girls. And let me tell you, I didn't even like the name until I read and watched _The Spiderwick Chronicles_.

Thank you to jaredfan, KittenDC, and JB-Forever for reviewing and putting story alert for the first chapter. Feel free to leave feedback and comments in your reviews, and also suggestions for the next chapters in your reviews, and/or PMs.

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26 August 2008


	3. In Which Jared Sets Out on His Journey

Chapter Three,

In Which Jared Sets Out on His Journey

"Thimbletack!" Jared called urgently as he burst through the front door of the old victorian house. "Thimbletack!"

He rushed up the stairs and hurried until he reached Arthur Spiderwick's old haven.

"It's quite early for one to be awake," a small voice called, coming from behind a dusty and broken-down clock sitting on a shelf. "What is it that you ache?" he asked as he climbed down onto the desktop.

"No," Jared clarified. "It's not me; it's Simon."

"Jared's double is in trouble," the brownie responded. Jared slowly lowered himself on the deskchair, leveling himself more to Thimbletack's height.

"He's sick," the distressed boy began to explain. "And the doctors haven't figured out what's wrong with him," he said slowly and calmly, but his words steadily sped up with underlying frustration, "but I know it has to do with the goblins!" He heaved a breath of heavy air. "I didn't know they were poisonous..." he finished quietly.

"Venomous..." the soft-spoken animal pondered. "They are not. No creature has died from a goblin attack on the spot."

"But it has to be something!" Jared exasperated. "That bite, there had to have been a bad reaction."

He rushed over to the chest to retrieve the Field Guide, and threw it open on the desktop. Flipping through a few pages until reaching the desired section, he pointed out the paragraph, proving that there was missing information. Not that Jared nor Thimbletack needed confirmation; they both knew the mystical bible by heart.

"There's nothing in the guide that said goblin..." Jared fussed, trying to think of the right word, "_Spit_ was deadly!"

He paused for a moment to gulp down some air. His face now showing a look of determination. "So _I_ am going to write it in myself."

There was a long pause of silence before the boy slowly sunk into the deskchair again. His elbow leaning against the armrest and head resting defeatedly in the palm of his hand. "But I don't know where to start looking! How am I going to find answers for a cure in time?"

He crouched down close to Thimbletack. "You've got to help me," Jared pleaded.

Thimbletack pointed out the window. The boy got up slowly and approached the window. He could see some brown leaves rustling in the leaves through the twilight air. He instantly knew what the household spirit meant. The only way he was ever going to find what he was looking for would be out there, in the forest.

Grabbing the Field Guide, Jared raced out of the secret room and to his bedroom. He made an abrupt hault before crashing into his bed, and snatched up his backpack. Shoving the Field Guide in, with several other handy survival tools, he rapidly zipped up his bag and fled down the stairs. Jared readjusted his jacket as he swung his backpack on, then headed towards the door.

"Jared Grace, where do you think you're going?" his mother demanded in a scolding tone. He froze the moment he heard the voice coming from behind him. Turning around slowly to face her, the boy spoke up.

"I was..." he started, stalling long enough to come up with a legitimate reason as fast as he could.

"No," she responded bluntly. She had his number. Well, sort of. Almost. At least knew he'd escape the house for some troubled reason or another. And she wasn't going to have it.

"But..." he feebly argued.

"You know what?" she continued, exasperated.

"Mom, listen."

"I don't want to know." She closed her eyes as she said it, waving her hands and shaking her head. "It is well after five o'clock in the morning. I need to be up in an hour to get ready for work, and..."

She stopped midway into her sentence and let out a heavy sigh. "You're going back to bed," she finished.

"You're doing it again," Jared said, angrily. "You're not listening! Simon needs my help, and I've got to go find-"

"We've done all we can for Simon right now," she said gently, placing her hand on his shoulder. "But now we've got to let him rest, and we've got to get some sleep ourselves. We'll go see him after I get back from work." She pulled him in close to her for a half-hug. "Okay?"

Kissing him lightly on the top of his head, she turned and walked up the stairs.

Jared let out a sigh of defeat. Glancing at the front door, he compteplated his choices. He could rebel and bolt out the door right now with his mother still hot on his tail, or follow his mother's instructions with less of a heated consequence. With the latter being the lesser of two evils, Jared trudged upstairs.

Dropping his backpack to the floor with a firm "thump", Jared flopped down on his mattress. With his street clothes still on, he stretched his legs out and folded his arms over his chest. Head sunk into his soft, comfy pillow, Jared's eyes fluttered shut and dozed off in a light sleep. He'll try to restart his quest again after a quick nap and a sneakier exit.

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End of Chapter Three

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Author's Note: I apologize for the three-year delay. I just would like to thank all of you who have been reviewing, favoring, subscribing to this story. Your dedication has been amazing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Chapter four is underway!

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26 August 2011


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